The Blue Ribbon Schools Program was established in 1982 by the US Secretary of Education to confer distinction upon outstanding public and private schools that:

• achieve high academic standards or have shown significant academic improvement over five years

• develop a comprehensive framework of key criteria for school effectiveness that can serve as a basis for participatory self-assessment and planning

• have succeeded in evidencing "best practices" programming available to other schools sharing a common understanding of criteria related to success.

Three California private schools were recently designated "Blue Ribbon Schools." CAPSO congratulates their administrators, faculty, students, families, governance and support bodies. The schools are:

Excelsior Academy
San Diego
Dr. Nance Maguire, Principal

Saint Matthias High School
Downey
Dr. Mark Ryan, Principal

Saint Joseph High School
Lakewood
Dr. Terri Mendoza, Principal